A federal safety watchdog for the Department of Energy continues to look for someone to fill its vacant executive director of operations post and discussed the search in closed session last week.
On Sept. 26, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) held a “nonpublic collaborative discussion” on candidates for the position, according to a meeting notice posted afterwards.
The discussion among DNFSB Chair Joyce Connery, vice chair Thomas Summers and member Jessie Hill Roberson touched on the needed experience and qualifications; expectations for the director and challenges the new hire might face. The board’s associate general counsel, Daniel O’Connor, along with two personnel managers, also participated, according to the notice.
“Specific information regarding the potential candidates is covered by Exemption 6 to the Sunshine Act,” which covers personal privacy, according to the notice. As a result, the board was not disclosing any personal information about the candidates, according to the notice.
DNFSB hopes to fill the post this year, the board said in a March report to Congress.
In August 2022, Joel Spangenberg, who served for less than two years as the board’s first executive director of operations, left to become deputy director of the Selective Service System, where had worked previously. Spanenberg took the executive director of operations post in January 2021. The director post was one of the recommendations included in a November 2018 report from the National Academy of Public Administration, which said the agency suffered from high turnover and low morale.
The DNFSB was established by Congress in 1998 in response to health and safety concerns at DOE nuclear defense facilities. The board’s mission is to provide independent analysis and recommendations to the secretary of energy. While the board lacks regulatory authority to mandate safety changes, the secretary of energy must respond publicly and in writing to DNFSB recommendations.
